Your retro prints are so original, very different to traditional baby ware. Where did the inspiration come from?
Alana: I’ve always loved anything vintage and music from the 70’s. The very first range was designed with nostalgia for my own childhood whilst listening to the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John etc. I also hate the whole pink for girls, blue for boys and grey for unisex. So boring! Childhood should be fun and colourful! It was clear from the beginning that the retro vibe of our prints was a niche we could work with and customers loved it from the get go.
Do you design your own prints, or work with other artists and designers?
Both. Alana sets the tone of each range and primarily creates all of the artwork. We sometimes also work with wonder women illustrators like Harley and J and Zoe Potaka who bring their amazing flair to a print.
Tell us about your fabrics, printing process and sustainable practices?
This is a huge driving force for Banabae, we are always looking at how we can improve processes and reduce our footprint.
We source fibREs that use less chemicals and less water consumption. Our baby linens are Organic Cotton, bamboo and Hemp which we digitally print with water based dyes. Hemp is a particular favourite fibRE for us! It is an absolute all rounder, using no chemicals, less water for production and then the final result is hardy yet perfect for babies with their super sensitive permeable skin.
Another aspect that we are super focused on is minimiSing single use plastics. We have seen this as a massive issue in the commercial supply chain over the years in the industry and we are passionate about not contributing to this. Banabae goodies arrive in cotton reusable bags and compostable satchels.